Fire Melts Ice, but Water Douses the Flame
by Valour Godspell
Summary: Tsukihana Fuyu was found by the Captain of the 10th Division when she was an orphan. Realizing her talent, Toshiro put her into the Academy where she quickly graduated and ascended the ranks of the 10th Division. There's only one question on her mind now: what is she to Hitsugaya? One-shot, OC.


**Ha, my first upload!  
Actually, this story has always been first. I've always been fond of it only because it was the first fanfic I've ever written. You can probably tell by the way I'm writing in this one. :) I was much too innocent and shy...  
But, I digress. Enjoy to your heart's content!**

_All characters are owned by Kubo Tite except for Tsukihana Fuyu._

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Being fairly new, I started developing a habit of "exploring." And when I do go wandering around, I always find myself in front of my captain's office. I don't know why, but I always end up there. It's like I'm being drawn to something. I sighed and decided that I should probably get back to the Squad 10 barracks before Rangiku found me. So, I quickly turned around and started on my way back.

All of a sudden, I was swept up off my feet as I heard a voice say, "Oh no you don't! You're going to help Captain while I'm gone with the other lieutenants."

Damn it.

"Rangiku, I can't keep doing this forever, you know! I don't mind covering for you but I have my own life, too!" I wailed. She set me down and looked at me for a moment before she gave me a hug and walked away. Before I could say anything, she swiftly darted off towards the Senzaikyu. Being her friend had never really been an easy thing.

I sighed. I didn't think it could get much worse than this. Toshiro Hitsugaya and I just don't really get along well. He's like the ice he controls with his zanpakuto, and I'm like the fire I control with mine. We just can't stand being near each other. Don't ask me why; we're always just drifting away on our rare missions together.

I softly knocked on the door and when I heard him say I could come in, I creeped in and snuck my head around the door. There he was, working away at the massive pile of papers on his desk like he always did. When he looked up, his teal eyes grew wide for a moment. I walked in and closed the door behind me, waiting for what he had to say next.

"Tsukihana, are you here for Rangiku again? Because if she asked you to do her work for her..." He trailed off and sighed.

"Toshiro -" He glared at me before I could utter another word. "Um, sorry. I forgot about that. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm not that bothered by it. It's better than wandering around with nothing to do."

He met my eyes for a moment before he said, "Your eyes are exactly like your mother's."

I cringed a bit at that. Everyone loved my parents, and everyone commented on how gorgeous my mother's eyes were. She had a beautiful chocolate colour with hints of ruby red. My eyes were supposed to be similar, but everytime I looked at my reflection and compared them, I just couldn't find the resemblance.

The tragedy happened some years back. When Squad 10 had the genius kid in their ranks, a horde of gigantic hollows showed up and they were horribly outnumbered. My parents sacrificed their lives to save the rest of their squad. Nothing was left of them.

When he realized that they'd left me behind and that I had potential as a shinigami, Toshiro decided that he'd just stick me in the Shinigami Academy and leave me stranded there instead of on the streets. It didn't take me long to get out and become a seated officer and I learned how to defend myself pretty well. But now, I didn't know where we stood. Were we friends, or did he consider himself my saviour? Was he supposed to be responsible for me? Well, whatever it is, it's keeping some distance between us.

The captain stood up and opened the door behind me. He told me to follow, and it wasn't as if I couldn't because it definitely sounded like an order. We flew between trees and past a few green spaces and I began to wonder when we'd stop until he turned on me, unleashing Hyorinmaru. I only just had enough time to unsheath my own sword, Herubado (or Hell Bird), to stop his blade from reaching my face.

"What's wrong, Fuyu? I thought you were quicker than that!" he cried out. What threw me off for a moment was that he'd used my first name. He never did!

"Well, I'm sorry I disappointed you, Toshiro. Maybe you should find someone else to be your fourth seat!" I pushed him back and slashed at him, missing his nose by a mere centimetre.

This continued on for a long while, our taunting each other and the near misses. And in the middle of the scrimmage I realized that we were laughing. I've never fought anyone so quick-witted and fast on his feet! No wonder he was considered a genius.

As the sun set, we set our swords down and dropped to the ground. We were still laughing, but after the mock fight we had it sounded almost like we were hyperventilating. We just lay there in the grass, watching the sky turn dark and the moon race its way across. I sat up, wondering how much time we wasted here when he said, "It's alright. We'll finish it up later."

"How did -" He sat up and put a finger to my lips, stopping me. I jerked back a bit, surprised at the gesture. He smiled at me, and right then we both realized why we'd been avoiding each other.

It was because we were afraid of falling, falling in love.

He put his hand on top of mine and our faces got closer and closer until we finally kissed. It was short, but right then I felt like time had stopped, like the trees held their breath and the clouds stopped for a moment to watch. Maybe it did happen for all we cared. We broke off and watched each other for a moment, lost in each other's eyes. Then, he stood up and said, "It's probably best if we get going."

I, reluctantly, got up and we grabbed our zanpakutos before heading back to the Seireitei. We took our time getting back, holding hands and talking freely for the first time.

Just before we reached the end of the forest, Toshiro pulled me close and kissed me again. And again. And again. We finally broke off, short of breath, and we held each other for a moment, listening to the night. He finally whispered, "I don't think we should tell a certain ginger about this just yet."

I nodded and smiled before heading off to the barracks, lost in my thoughts.

I'd melted his frozen heart, and he cooled the fiery barriers of mine.


End file.
